Washing machine



My 16 1939-* v. lai-:Mpix 2,158,815

WASHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 2l, 1936 Patented May 16, 1939 WASHING MACHINE vincent aeaix, scum Bend, ma., signor tc Bendix Home Appliances, Inc., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application September 21, 1936, Serial No. 101,725

s calins.

The present invention relates to a washing machine that accomplishes the requisite scrubbing of textiles by propelling them with liquid currents rather than a mechanical agitator. Previous machines in which textiles were propelled solely by liquid currents were unsatisfactory in that the machines were not sufficiently eiiicient in producing vigorous currents throughoutthe contained liquid.

On the other hand, the well known agitator type of machine, in which an agitator consisting of a central post and radial blades oscillates upon its vertical axis, has disadvantages of its own. 'They are the excessive wear caused by the agitator, and the lack of uniform exposure to the scrubbing action of the textiles in a load of ordinary size, due

to the slowness with which the textiles move about and mix with one another in the tub.

In short, each of the articles in the tub of an agitatorl machine is scrubbed violently at intervals, instead of being subjected to more gentle,

continuous' scrubbing, as in the machine of the present invention. The latter kind of scrubbing removes the soil from the textiles with much less wear and fraying than the scrubbing that occurs in an agitator machine. l

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a machine of improved eiliciency for washing textiles without the use oi a mechanical agitator. More specic objects and advantages are apparent from the description, in which reference is had to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

lThe drawing is a vertical section of a preferred type of machine. 'I'his specific drawing and the specific description that follows are to disclose and illustrate the invention, and are not to impose \limitations upon theclaims.

A machine constructed in accordance with the invention includes a vessel for holding the textiles and the soap suds or other detergent liquid, which preferably consists of a tub having an upright central post. Thus the preferred form of vessel is annular in shape. The agitation of the textiles 5 in the liquid to produce the desired scrubbing action may be carried out by the injection of liquid in a vertical direction along the outer walls of the Vessel at all sides. I e

If the liquid is injected downward along the outer walls of the vessel, it strikes the bottom of the vessel and ows radially inward along the bottom to the center. Thus, eddy currents are set up in the vessel so that the liquid in the i v5,5 vessel flows upward at the center thereof, then radially outward at the Itop, downwardv at the sides, and radially inward at the bottom.

It is .convenient for the liquid that is injected into the vessel to be withdrawn therefrom through perforations provided in one of the walls. These perforations should be provided in one of the walls A over which the liquid flows that has been injected into the vessel so that the strong liquid currents passing over the perforations prevent clogging of the perforations by the textiles.

In the preferred construction a chamber is provided in communication with the perforations,4 having an impeller located therein .below the vessel, to draw the liquid through the perforations and to inject it through suitable openings into the vessel.

In the illustrated device an upright cylindrical shell I0 is mounted upon casters il, and has riveted to its interior four radially extending brackets IG, whose inner ends are bolted to lateral supporting anges il on the motor housing I8. The upper edge of the cylindrical shell I0 is turned in and suitably formed to support an outei liquid casing I9. Integral with this outer casing are a series of internal fins 20, having sloping inner edges upon which rests the tub 2| .of the machine. Between the bottom of the tub 2i and the bottom oi the outer casing I9 is a centrifugal impeller 22, threaded upon a shaft 23 that is driven by the motor through a coupling 24.

The impeller 22 turns upon a wearing ring 25 surrounding the shaft 23, and a packing gland 26 is provided to prevent leakage of' liquid from the outer casing along they shaft. Seated in a countersunk hole in the bottom of the outer casing l5 is a threaded nipple 2l, which supports a pipe 28 for drainage of the liquid from the machine at the end of the washing operation. The

pipe 28 is kept closed during the operation by means of a valve 28.

The efficiency of the machine is greater if the construction is such that the liquid from the tub is fed only to the central portion of the impeller. The `drawing shows an internal annular shoulder formed near th`e bottom of the tub 2|, upon which a plate 30, forming a false bottom for the tub, is secured by means oi' screws.

A wide marginal portion of the plate 30 is provided with perforations through which the liquid is withdrawn, and the bottom of the tub 2i is provided with a wide circular opening through which the liquid is fed to the center of the impeller 22. Under the action of the impeller the liquid is forced upward between the lateral walls of the tub 2l and the lateral walls of the outer casing I9, and the ilns cause the liquid to travel upward in a vertical rather than in a spiral 'direction. Upon reaching the top'of the tub the liquid is directed downward and injected along the outer walls of the tub by means of lan annular deilecting plate il, which is secured to the upper edge of the outer casing I9. This deecting plate is provided with an internal flange, to the upper side of which is cemented a rubber gasket 32 upon which rests the cover 33 of the machine.

A hollow member, forming the central post 34 of the machine, is mounted upon the central portion of the plate 30. To facilitate the scrubbing of the textiles as they are carried along by the eddy currents in the liquid, ribs 35 are provided on the lateral walls of the tub 2i and the post 34.

The advantage lof injecting liquid vertically along the outer walls of the tub or radially inward along a horizontal plane is that the rate of flow of the liquid tends to increase as the liquid approaches the center of the tub. 'I'hus the velocity of the liquid currents remote from the orifice through which the liquid is injected tends to be greater than the velocity of the currents just in front of the orifice. Vigorous currents in all portions of the vessel are thus produced. When liquid is injected downward along the outer walls of the vessel, it is deflected radially inward along the bottom, and then ilows upward at the center. The currents in the liquid near the center of the vessel, such as the currents along the walls of the post 34 in the drawing, are just as vigorous as the currents along the outer walls of the vessel. Water flowing radially in the upper portion of the vessel tends to lose its yvelocity, but when the liquid is injected downward along the outer walls as in the illustrated device, the currents set up by the injection oi' the liquid ow downward, then radially inward to the center, and upward, before they reach the surface of the liquid and lose their velocity.-

.Injection from the top of the outer walls downward is preferable to injection from the bottom of the vessel upward along the outer walls because upward injection results in a tendency i' the liquid to spout upward above the top of the outer walls.

The preferred embodiment of the invention that has been described may be modliied and various modifications embodying the substance of the invention may be devised to meet various requirements.

I claim:

1. A washing machinev comprising inner and outer coaxial upwardly-facing tubs having spaced walls separated by vertical fins, a motor-driven horizontal centrifugal impeller between the spaced bottoms oi' said tubs, the outer margin of l,the bottom of the inner tub being formed with openings arranged symmetrically in a circular zone, a member secured to said bottom of the inner tub and formed with an opening adjacent -the axis of said impeller and directing liquid from said openings at the outer margin of the inner tub bottom to the central portion oi' the impeller,

and a central vertical member arranged at the center of said zone and secured to and extending upwardly from the center of the inner tub bottom and cooperating with said inner tub to denne an annular washing space.

2. A washing lmachine comprising inner and outer coaxial upwardly-facing tubs having spaced walls separated by vertical ns, a motor-driven horizontal centrifugal impeller between the spaced bottoms of said tubs, the outer margin of the bottom of the inner tub'being formed with openings arranged symmetrically in a circular zone, a member secured to said bottom of the inner tub and formed with an opening adjacent the axis of said impeller and directing liquid from said openings at' the outer margin of the inner tub bottom to the central portion of the impeller, l

a. central vertical member arranged at the center of said zone and secured to and extending upwardly from the center of the inner tub bottom and cooperating with said inner tub to deiine an annular washing space, and an annular deiiector mounted at the top ofthe side wall of the outer tub and directing the water impelled upwardly between the side walls of the tubs downwardly inside the side wall ofthe inner tub.

3. A washing machine comprising inner and,

outer coaxial upwardly-facing tubs having spaced walls separated by vertical tins, the inner edges of the fins being inclined and the side Wall of the inner tub being conical and resting on said edges, a motor-driven horizontal centrifugal impeller between the spaced bottoms of said tubs, the outer margin of the bottom of the inner tub being formed with openings, and a member secured to said bottom ci' the inner tub -and formed with an opening adjacent the axis of said impeller and directing liquid from said openings at the outer margin of the inner tub bottom to the central portion of the impeller.

4. A washing machine comprising inner and outer coaxial upwardly-facing tubs having spaced walls, a motor-driven horizontal centrifugal impeller between the spaced bottoms of said tubs, the outer margin of the bottom of the inner tub being formed with openings, and a member secured to said bottom of the inner tub and formed with an opening adjacent the axis of said impellerand directing liquid from said openings at the outer margin of the inner tub bottom to the central portion of the impeller.

5. A washing machine comprising inner and outer coaxial upwardly-facing tubs having spaced walls, a motor-driven horizontal centrifugal impeller between the spaced bottoms of said tubs. the outer margin of the bottom of the inner tub being formed with openings, a member secured to said bottom 4oi? the inner tub and formed with an opening adjacent the axis of said impeller and directing liquid from said openings at the outer margin of the inner tub bottom to the central portion of the impeller, and an annular deilector mounted at the top of the side wall o! the outer tub and directing the water impelled 'upwardly between the side walls of the tubs 

